Working Groups

Through the Alliance, member organisations collaborate on specific projects aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of our residents. 2020 has seen significant progress in both the number and impact of these projects.

Dancing

The dancing group, comprising members from USYD, UNSW, local GPs, professional dancers, Multicultural Health, ICH and WSD, is working on ways to encourage dancing as an alternative form of physical activity through local intergenerational programs. COVID-19 limited the adoption of the concept in schools. Work is underway with TAFE to incorporate dance into specific student programs and providing dance classes for the teachers. Blacktown city Council will provide free venues for two dance groups in 2021. This project will be evaluated with the hope of expanding to additional populations and venues. Parramatta Council showed interest regarding the Healthy Parramatta Van and other facilities and suppliers. Dance was showcased as the activity for National Diabetes Week with groups from within the hospital and community sending in videos of themselves dancing, and combined into a video. The success of this program was repeated for RUOK Day with online dancing lessons for WSLHD staff. The physical and mental health benefits of dancing were the topic of a session in the Masterclass 2020 Series with the aim of encouraging health professional referral for patients seeking an enjoyable form of physical activity. Click below to watch these videos and learn more about the benefits of dancing:

Food Security

This working group was set up following the November 2020 meeting and aims to map and devise interventions relating to food security in western Sydney. The members include researchers from UTS, St John’s University (US), USYD, WSLHD and the Right to Food Coalition. This group is mapping food supply in western Sydney and working with the government regarding policies relating to determining which agencies should take the responsibility for food security in NSW.